Georgetown, Del., Honored for Protecting Drinking Water

Town adopted a source water protection ordinance that exceeded the minimum state requirements and addressed wellhead protection areas and excellent groundwater recharge areas

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) mid-Atlantic office has awarded the town of Georgetown, Del., the source water protection award for its efforts to protect their drinking water sources.

"Drinking water is a finite and precious resource, so we applaud communities like the town of Georgetown that are taking steps to protect it," said Don Welsh, EPA regional administrator. We look forward to other municipalities adopting source water protection ordinances.

Georgetown recently adopted a Source Water Protection ordinance that exceeded the minimum state requirements and addressed wellhead protection areas and excellent groundwater recharge areas. The town worked cooperatively with Delaware Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) and the Delaware Rural Water Association in this endeavor.

EPA’s source water protection awards recognize organizations and communities that take steps to protect drinking water sources. The awards are open to individuals and public and private organizations throughout EPA’s mid-Atlantic region, which includes Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, Delaware, the District of Columbia and Maryland. Recipients have voluntarily gone beyond what the law requires to protect their communities.

In 1996, the federal Safe Drinking Water Act was amended to give greater protection to millions of Americans who rely on public drinking water systems. By law, all states must develop source water assessments for every public water supply, but it is up to the local authorities to develop plans and measures to protect drinking water sources from contamination. For more information on source water protection, visit www.epa.gov/reg3wapd/drinkingwater/swp/.